Principles of sensorimotor learning.

The exploits of Martina Navratilova and Roger Federer represent the pinnacle of motor learning. However, when considering the range and complexity of the processes that are involved in motor learning, even the mere mortals among us exhibit abilities that are impressive. We exercise these abilities when taking up new activities - whether it is snowboarding or ballroom dancing - but also engage in substantial motor learning on a daily basis as we adapt to changes in our environment, manipulate new objects and refine existing skills. Here we review recent research in human motor learning with an emphasis on the computational mechanisms that are involved.

Eliminating discharge imbalances in predicting shallow water flows with shocks

The shallow water equations are widely used in modelling environmental flows. Being a hyperbolic system of differential equations, they admit shocks that represent hydraulic jumps and bores. Although the water surface can be solved satisfactorily with the modern shock-capturing schemes, the predicted flow rate often suffers from imbalances where shocks occur, eg the mass conservation is violated by failing to maintain a constant discharge rate at every cross-section in a steady open channel flow. A total-variation-diminishing Lax-Wendroff scheme is developed, and used to demonstrate how to achieve an exact flux balance. The performance of the proposed methods is inspected through some test cases, which include 1- and 2-dimensional, flat and irregular bed scenarios. The proposed methods are shown to preserve the mass exactly, and can be easily extended to other shock-capturing models.

Mapping the global flow of steel: from steelmaking to end-use goods.

Our society is addicted to steel. Global demand for steel has risen to 1.4 billion tonnes a year and is set to at least double by 2050, while the steel industry generates nearly a 10th of the world's energy related CO₂ emissions. Meeting our 2050 climate change targets would require a 75% reduction in CO₂ emissions for every tonne of steel produced and finding credible solutions is proving a challenge. The starting point for understanding the environmental impacts of steel production is to accurately map the global steel supply chain and identify the biggest steel flows where actions can be directed to deliver the largest impact. In this paper we present a map of global steel, which for the first time traces steel flows from steelmaking, through casting, forming, and rolling, to the fabrication of final goods. The diagram reveals the relative scale of steel flows and shows where efforts to improve energy and material efficiency should be focused.

Radiation Concentrator Device

A radiation concentrator device 21 for improved efficiency in solar systems by limiting reflected light, comprising a radiation concentrator element 27 comprising a radiation transmissive surface 29, a radiation receiving device and disposed on the incident radiation side of the concentrator element 27 is a recapture element 23 for recapturing at least a portion of radiation lost from the concentrator element 27, where the recapturing element allows transmission of incident light into the concentrator element 27, recaptures escaping radiation from the concentrator element and reflecting the radiation back into the concentrator element. Also disclosed are radiation concentrator device 21 where the recapture element 23 comprises ridged or grooved structures to increase the internal reflection of the radiation. The concentrator element 27 may also be provided with luminescent materials.